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Kerry Washington recently teamed up with the Allstate Foundation to design a purple purse to bring awareness to financial abuse. But what exactly is financial abuse? Financial abuse is a form of abuse by a partner, where often the partner controls how money is spent or even withholds money. A survey found that 98 percent of women who were in abusive relationships also were victims of financial abuse.
Washington commented on why she wanted to be a part of this campaign and stated, “I had never really heard of financial abuse before but then I learned it’s the number one reason why women stay in abusive relationships and why they go back even after they’ve left. They don’t feel like they can take care of themselves financially. And I thought this is a way I can do work on an issue I’ve been involved with for a long time, violence against women, and be part of a really tangible solution, giving them the tools to do it and doing it through fashion. It was so many things that I love coming together.”
This initiative launched just in time, as October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. You can watch Washington’s PSA below, and check out more information about the project here.
